The present invention relates generally to capacitors, and more specifically to capacitors capable of use as part of a fuselage or body, such as for an air-, land- or marine-based vehicle.
The fuselage of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), interchangeably referred to as an Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) or Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), primarily serves as the structural and lift-producing airframe component that enables controlled flight of the UAS within specified operational envelopes and flight conditions appropriate for the category of UAS. UAS airframes can provide the necessary enclosure(s) for remote sensing payloads and otherwise critical UAS avionics systems that enable capabilities such as precision navigation, radio communication, environmental systems and UAS sensor functionality (transmitted via RF communications to various ground control stations). Typically, the ground control stations and controlling pilot are located either within Line of Site (LOS) or Beyond Line of Site (BLOS) of the air vehicle, often at great distances from each other. The various fuselage compartments of the UAS may house equipment such as power sources, engines or electric power plants, electronics and antennas that communicate with ground control systems or other airborne aeronautical assets. Generally, the range of a given UAS is a function of its aerodynamic design, mass, and the energy efficiency of its propellant system; sometimes constrained by the maximum effective distance of the UAS command links, communications links and onboard fuel/power limitations. Often, lack of redundancy of onboard UAS systems restricts expanded use of UAS within the U.S. National Air Space (NAS), governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—available redundant, on-board electrical power sources are necessary to power avionics systems that provide precision navigation and air vehicle flight control. The mass of the aircraft is a direct function of the body volume, construction material properties, mass of the engine sub-system, and mass of other payload items such as on-board sensors—all of which directly affect the flight performance characteristics of UAS, regardless of size.
Battery-powered aircraft generally utilize high charge capacity batteries that are significant contributors to the weight and bulk of the engine subsystem. It is desired to provide an alternative to reliance solely on batteries for aircraft power. A solution to such a problem associated with aircraft (whether manned, unmanned, or man-in-the-loop) will have applicability in other settings as well, such as for land- or marine-based vehicles and other powered devices.